such great info, i'm so glad i found this board. upon further reading i found out that the 510 (in manual focus mode i assume) uses "motorised manual focusing". can someone explain this to me? if a motor is moving the lens to focus, then it isn't manual is it?:?

upon further reading i found out that the 510 (in manual focus mode i assume) uses "motorised manual focusing". can someone explain this to me? if a motor is moving the lens to focus, then it isn't manual is it?:?

Typically, a camera's lens would have a foucsing ring that you would use to manually focus the lens, but the Olympus E-510 uses a motor that you control to focus the lens. The difference is that you'd be grasping the lens and twisting your wrist to manually focus on a typical dSLR. On the E-510, you'll be pushing some buttons.

In autofocus mode, the camera would focus the lens itself and decide what to focus on. In manual focus mode, you still focus the lens; you're just using a motor todo the twisting.

The E-510 has a feature/handicap that most other dSLRs don't have. The E-510 allows you to have a live image on the electronic viewfinder before you take the shot. This is typical of the average P&amp;S digicam, but unusual for a dSLR because the image sensor is covered by the mirror that projects the image onto the focusing screen in the viewfinder. The disadvantage of this system is that the E-510 can't autofocus while the live image is being displayed. Those two features can't be used simultaneously, so you'd be trading one feature for another.

Typically, a camera's lens would have a foucsing ring that you would use to manually focus the lens, but the Olympus E-510 uses a motor that you control to focus the lens. The difference is that you'd be grasping the lens and twisting your wrist to manually focus on a typical dSLR. On the E-510, you'll be pushing some buttons.

The E series lenses still have a focus ring, and you still twist this focus ring to use manual focus. It works the same way it does on a typical DSLR lens from the other major manufacturers in that respect.

The difference is that it's a "fly by wire" system and a motor moves the actual elements in the lens, versus the focus ring being mechanically coupled.

The E System models also have a menu option that lets you choose the direction of the focus ring. So, if you prefer a clockwise rotation to go from infinity to close focus or vice-versa, you can set it as preferred.

Note that so far, the Sigma lenses in this mount retain a mechanically coupled focus ring.

as i haven't made up my mind yet, what are your guys and gals thoughts on buying refurbished cameras? i found a refurbished canon d20 for just a little more than my original budget. is it at all a risk or will i be able to get more camera for my buck?

Depends who has done the recon and what the guarantee is, if it is all with Canon and you get a full year then I would entertain the idea if not personally I would not be too keen (and don't forgetI shoot with 2 Canon dSLRs).

Mark is very correct. Who actually did the refurb job is important. The number of shutter actuations is also important, as is what kind of guarantee are they willing to provide to you as the buyer. I would also hang in there to get a full year guarantee.

Then it would somewhat like buying a new camera. You just don't want to buy somebodyelse's problem camera. Because of their fast burst mode (5 fps), Canon 20D's sometimes do hard duty with sports photography and the like. That is why knowing the number of shutter actuations is a measure of use and wear.

I have had excellent dealings with Adorama. The price is right. However, I did not see their evaluation of the camera condition. It is usually a letter code.

The 90 day warranty does mean something and I think that Adorama will stand behind it. I don't mean to bug you, but if you could weedle 6 months out of them, instead of just 90 days,I would say go for it.

The reason that I say 6 months is that you are going to have to go through a learning curve with a camera such as the canon 20D, and you will have less usage in the first three months, and then you will pick up speed.

Another possibility is to buy it "subject to personal inspection." That is not an unusual thing when you are buying it sight unseen. Tell them nothing more than that, then pay an experienced Canon camera repairman to take a look at it. It will probably cost you $35 to $60 but it would be worth it just for the peace of mind.